


Shoot to Thrill (Hooked on a Feeling)

by Star_trekkin_across_theuniverse



Series: Escape [4]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2018-03-22 11:59:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3728119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_trekkin_across_theuniverse/pseuds/Star_trekkin_across_theuniverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roxanne and Peter meet again, but not before Tony Stark busts in and takes over their story (Or, what happened when you don't write a fic with Tony Stark as the male lead? He takes over your fic about Peter Quill because he can. Genius, Billionaire, Playboy philanthropists are used to getting their own way...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shoot to Thrill (Hooked on a Feeling)

“Darling, honestly, I can’t remember the last time I had to hold your hair for you. Was it our first tour?” Jinx had followed Roxanne when he’d seen her jump and run toward the bathroom. There had been something about the particular shade of green she’d turned. He’d gathered her hair up in one hand, and rubbed her back with the other as she emptied her stomach. She leaned back and flushed the toilet, flopping against his chest. Jinx maneuvered awkwardly, holding Roxanne against his chest as he tried to grab a washcloth. He managed to flick it from the towel rack into the sink and turned the faucet on without disrupting Roxanne too much. 

“Oh god. Was it the chicken?” Roxanne leaned forward and started throwing up again. Jinx took advantage of the movement to grab the cloth and wring it out, so when Roxanne fell back against him again, he was able to lay it across her forehead. Roxanne groaned and wiped her face.

“Are you done, darling?” Jinx smoothed the hair off Roxanne’s forehead and laid a hand on her cheek. She nodded.

“I think so.”

“Let’s get you to bed then, love.” He stood, and assisted Roxanne to her feet. He helped her over to the king-sized bed, and tucked her in, placing her phone on the pillow beside her. “You ring me if you need anything, Rox. I’m just next door.”

“I have a meeting with Tony Stark in an hour,” she groaned.

“Stark can reschedule. You’re not well. My stomach hasn’t been right since dinner last night either, but you’ve been on stage twice as much as the rest of us, and you’ve been doing all the press. You need an afternoon with no commitments.” Jinx sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the rainbow cascade of hair off her forehead again. “You’ve got to rest, Rox. You’re the face of all of this, and dropping the ball now would be catastrophic. If Stark is any kind of human, he will understand.”

“Jerry won’t,” Roxanne protested. Jinx laughed.

“Well, no one has ever accused Jerry of being human. Listen, let me handle Jerry, and if I need to, I’ll meet with Stark. You need some sleep. You’ve burned your candle at both ends far too long, and there’s nothing but wick left,” he scolded. “I’ll bring you a cup of tea in an hour or two.”

“Remind me why I divorced you?” Roxanne mumbled from under the covers. Jinx dipped his head and kissed her forehead.

“I believe you accused me of loving groupies more than you, darling.” He pushed off the bed. “Which wasn’t entirely true, but was true enough at the time.”

“Right,” Roxanne agreed. “You’re a terrible bastard. Now get out. And please bring me tea later. And maybe some of those chocolate biscuits your mum sends you.”

XXX

“How was I supposed to know that she was a girl, let alone a god damn princess?” Peter exclaimed as both Drax and Gamora glared at him. They’d picked up a passenger who was willing to pay for passage to Moord, and pay well. Peter had been quick to agree, and not ask too many questions. He’d never interacted with the Badoon up close before, and had missed the indicators that his young passenger was female and not male.

“We can’t take her to Moord, Peter, they’ll kill her,” Gamora hissed. Moord was the home planet of the Brotherhood of Badoon. 

“What do you mean, kill her?” Peter exclaimed.

“The Brotherhood do not permit females on their planet, Quill. The males hate the females. The females hate the males,” Gamora explained slowly, like Peter was a small, slow child.

“So Moord is a planetary version of Calvin’s treehouse?”

“I do not understand that reference,” Gamora admitted.

“G.R.O.S.S.? Get Rid of Slimy girlS?” Peter prompted.

“No. I have no idea what you’re referencing, Peter,” she sighed. “Badoon males only return to Lotiara to mate. Otherwise the males and females prefer to avoid one another. Sending this girl to Moord will lead to her death.” Gamora glanced back at the girl who was watching the exchange with rapt attention.

“We can not give her back to the queen, it could be just as dangerous,” Drax countered. 

“If she truly is a princess, the queen will be pleased to have her safe return!” Gamora exclaimed. The argument intensified between the two until Peter worried he might have to step between them.

“Excuse me, what about what I want?” The princess in question stepped forward with her hands on her hips. Drax and Gamora fell silent. “Lortho and I are in love. I only need to meet him there, and we can leave Moord. We don’t care where we go, just so long as we are together.”

“That’s awfully naïve, don’t you think?” Gamora spat. “Badoon males hold women in contempt. I hardly think this one capable of loving you.”

“You don’t know him. He does love me,” she shook her head, her voice calm. “Maybe an assassin can’t comprehend that love changes you.”

Peter flinched, waiting for Gamora to respond like an assassin might. Instead, she snorted.

“Love is a weakness,” she scoffed. The princess just shrugged and rolled her eyes.

“Maybe for you,” she agreed. “Peter Quill, you will take me to Moord?”

“You’re paying me to take you there. I ain’t waiting around for you though, so I hope you’re sure about this Lortho guy.” Peter settled back into the pilot’s seat and confirmed the coordinates for the planet. The princess settled into a seat restlessly, occasionally glaring at Gamora and then fiddling with a small electronic device. She finally rose and stepped out into the galley, smacking her hand on the side of the device. The Milano kicked into hyperdrive as the navigation system switched to autopilot.

Peter kicked his feet up onto the dash, and stretched his hands back behind his head, allowing his eyes to close. Music flooded into the cabin, and his eyes popped open. Drax was fiddling with the iPod.

“I like this compilation of music from the 1980s on Terra, Peter. The tempo is quick and makes my shoulders sway.” As though to illustrate, Drax bopped in his seat. Peter found his thoughts straying to Terra, and the author of the playlist. He sighed heavily and scrubbed his hands across his face and groaned.

“What troubles you, Quill?” Drax asked. Peter shook his head.

“Nothing,” Peter lied, picking at his cuticles.

“That ain’t true. You’re trying to figure out a way to get us back to Terra again,” Rocket sauntered into the room and stroked a paw along Groot’s leaves. Groot ruffled in response.

“If we are to spend more time on Terra, you will buy me clothing. If I am covered, I will blend in. And then I can explore Terra. And learn more of the metaphors and exaggerations you use,” Drax stated. Peter wasn’t sure if it was a promise or a threat.

“I don’t think that would be wise –“ Gamora started.

“No, I think he’s right. He would fit right in at the right place. People would think it’s just tattoos,” Peter interrupted. Groot made some shrill noises and Rocket cocked his head to one side, face screwed up in concentration.

“Nah, I don’t think the Terrans have any special powers,” Rocket responded, and then looked at Peter. “You guys don’t have powers, do you?”

“What kind?” Peter asked, puzzled. Groot squeaked and chittered again and Rocket laughed.

“He might be, Groot.” Rocket’s paws clutched his stomach as he laughed. Peter, Drax and Gamora looked at one another, waiting for the punchline. Gamora rolled her eyes. Every time Groot said something funny, Rocket would make a huge production out of the laughing, and then would explain, with an air of superiority that irritated her to no end. “He said Roxanne is probably a witch, and has cast a spell on you.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Peter protested. He glared at Groot. “And to think I watered you this morning.”

“You have been quite bewitched by her,” Gamora offered, a wry smirk gracing her features.

“There is no such thing as a witch,” Peter countered, defensively.

“I have met one before,” Drax interjected. Peter spun on his heel to stare at Drax.

“A witch?” Gamora demanded. Drax nodded.

“She laid a curse upon my friend. His eyeballs bled, and his skin split in many places, exposing his flesh in a most painful way. It was fascinating. And disgusting. If Roxanne is a witch, she is much kinder than the other one I have met,” Drax explained. Peter made a face.

“Roxanne is not a witch.” Peter was firm.

“If you say so, Quill, but you keep looking for jobs around Terra,” Rocket interjected. 

“I’m not going to look for work hundred of light years away if there’s work to be had where we are, Rocket. It makes sense to work our way back –“ Peter’s retort was cut off by a shrill scream. The princess ran into the room robbing, and flung herself against Peter. Peter’s arms came up out of instinct, but he stopped himself before he embraced her. “Whoa, princess? What happened?”

“I have been trying to contact Lortho since you picked me up on this disgusting ship,” she sobbed. “The green bitch was right. He mocked me for attempting to run away, and swore he had no use for me other than whoring. I need to return to Lotiara before Aladi No Eke discovered I’m absent.”

“You’re still paying for the trip, princess,” Rocket pointed out. She pulled away from Peter to glare at Rocket.

“I will not!” She exclaimed. “It has been an honour for you to transport me, and –“

“No, princess. It’s not an honour to transport anyone. It’s an expense to take passengers. And you’ll need to pay us when we return you, or we will need to approach the queen for payment.” Gamora kept her tone gentle, and her hand on the dagger at her hip. The princess took one quick look at it and nodded.

“Take the payment now then. I will be in my quarters.” She dropped the credits beside Groot and left the cabin.

“That’s going to take us within 50 light years of Terra,” Rocket commented. “I suppose we’ll be stopping in to visit Roxy Rain again?”

“Shut up, Rocket.” Peter sat down in the pilot’s seat and reset the coordinates back to Lotiara.

XXX

Roxanne sat in the café at the hotel waiting for Stark to show. Most of the patrons in the café were too old or too rich to care who she was, and she caught more than one woman sneering at the rainbow of colour cascading down her back in scorn. Roxanne just sat with her book, a serene secret smile on her face, enjoying the disapproval. She was irrelevant to the other patrons, and sometimes she found it was nice to not be important.

Every head in the place swiveled when Tony Stark walked in, and Roxanne knew that in a heartbeat, she was no longer going to be irrelevant to the other customers. She would suddenly exist in their narrow little worlds, even if it was only as ‘that woman with Tony Stark’. Her smile became even more self-satisfied. She loved turning the tables on arrogance and entitlement. It was, quite possibly, the best part of being a celebrity.

“Roxy! You look like a million bucks, honey,” Stark leaned over and kissed her cheek before seating himself across from her. “Jerry said you’ve been sick. You don’t look sick.”

“Food poisoning. The perks of touring,” Roxanne smirked. Stark smiled and nodded, hailing the waiter.

“I would love a cup of coffee. Strong, black. Bring her whatever it is she’s been drinking. Fizzy water?” He spoke quickly. Roxanne wondered if she’d ever get used to the speed of his speech. “So what is your decision, Roxanne?” Those words were nice and slow. Less glib, more serious. Stark meant business.

“We had a round table, and the general consensus was that most of the people who would support the foundation might have issues with Stark Industries because of the history of the company. We talked about it a lot, and in the end, the work you’ve done with the Avengers, and as Iron Man, it kind of outweighs a cancelled weapons contract.” Roxanne sipped her water. Stark tilted his head, waiting. Roxanne waited for the waiter to deliver their drinks. Stark took that as the end of her statement. He didn’t look happy about it.

“I can understand that concern, Roxanne, I really do. I cancelled the weapons contract with the military as soon as I came back from Afghanistan. I saw exactly what we were doing, and it sickened me. I’m not going to lie. This would be great for Stark Industries, in a PR sense. Showing us giving back, funding the education of the next generation, instead of making the weapons that will kill those same kids.” His words were more carefully chosen than Roxanne had expected.

“You didn’t let me finish,” Roxanne chided him. He looked puzzled and Roxanne laughed. “We weighed all the good and bad. We did tons of research. I know it seems like a long time, but it’s only been a little more than a week. Why do you think it took us as long as it did?”

“Because you’re a fickle musician?” Stark’s answer made Roxanne let out a short bark of laughter.

“No, we were researching everything about the current incarnation of Stark Industries. The conclusion we reached was that we would be foolish to say no to a partnership with you, Tony.” She sat back and watched as her words registered. A slow smile spread across his face and he leaned across the table and planted a kiss right on her mouth.

“You won’t regret this, Roxanne.”

“I think I already do. Don’t ever kiss me again, please,” she laughed. Stark feigned offense and then smiled again.

“I’ll get my PR department on this right away. We’ll have to do some press together –“

“Jerry will coordinate everything for you on our end. We’ll fit whatever your publicist wants into the schedule. Except two weeks from now, we have a week booked off, and I am not available at all during that week,” Roxanne agreed.

“And tonight?” Stark raised an eyebrow in question.

“What about tonight? Tonight is a night off. There’s no concert.” Roxanne was confused. Stark smirked and leaned forward.

“Exactly. Pepper is overseas. I need a date for a thing. You’ll be perfect.” He was too excited. It made Roxanne nervous.

“You’re insane,” she laughed and shook her head. 

“It’s been suggested. You have evening wear?” Stark was flicking through his phone, looking for something. Roxanne didn’t even want to speculate what.

“What the hell are you taking me to?” She couldn’t imagine what she would need formal wear for that Stark could be taking her to, other than some fancy Stark Industries party.

“You have a stylist, right? If you don’t, I’m sure I can call –“

“I have a stylist, Tony. What are you taking me to?” Roxanne interrupted.

“Just a thing.” He was being evasive. Probably on purpose, Roxanne realized. She finally just decided to go with it. He continued playing with his phone.

“I have a show at 8pm tomorrow, Tony,” she agreed, resigned to spending the next twenty-four hours at the whim of Iron Man. The phone was suddenly on the table in front of him.

“You mean I get a sleep-over too?” He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. Roxanne rolled her eyes and ignored the comment.

“When do I need to be ready for tonight?” She refocused to conversation.

“I’ll pick you up at five. Look spectacular. There might be a red carpet.” He winked and rose, kissing her cheek and heading out of the café. Roxanne sent a quick text to her stylist and headed back to her room to have a shower.

Just as she expected, by the time she was out of the shower, the hair guy was setting up in the living room of her hotel suite, and the stylist breezed through the door not long after, arms laden with gowns.

“These are the samples that were sent over for the Billboard music awards. I’ve already got release for you to use one of them tonight from the designer.” Stephen hung them up, and took their bags off them. They were all very ‘award show appropriate’, but the last one made Roxanne’s breath catch. It was a slinky bias-cut dress in pale blue, sequined with every colour she could imagine. It looked like a summer night sky with the northern lights dancing across it.

“That one,” she pointed at it.

“It’ll be a good choice with your hair. Leave it down, Jeremy. Curls,” Stephen ordered, and then busied himself with matching jewelry. She was ready by 4:30, and Stark was helping her into a limo at 5pm on the nose. The limo pulled away from the hotel and soon, Roxanne realized they were headed west out of D.C.

“Where are we going?”

“Jerry wants rumours. I’m giving him huge rumours.” Tony teased. “I brought you that fizzy water you love.” He handed her a bottle of Perrier and leaned back in his seat.

“Are these rumours I’ll ever recover from?” Roxanne asked, glancing out the window.

“You’re a young, beautiful, famous rock star. You have infinite recoverability. But I think your manager is a little pushy, so I want him to have to do some damage control. Nothing that will be lasting, but a little bit of chaos never hurt anyone.” Tony was being deliberately vague. Roxanne wanted to be irritated, but she was too intrigued. “You are okay with flying?”

“I hate flying,” Roxanne shook her head.

“How much? Like, will I need sedation to get you on the plane, or just a shot of scotch, or –“

“Explain how necessary it is for me to get on the plane before I decide,” Roxanne interrupted.

“You think Jerry is heavy handed? Do you want to mess with his brain for the rest of the tour?” Tony was working a very clever angle. He hadn’t missed the tension between Roxanne and her manager, and he could see Roxanne’s need to be defiant held just below the surface of every interaction he’d witnessed between them.

“Suppose I do?” 

“Trust me and get on the plane. It’s really comfortable. You’ll be able to sleep. You really won’t even feel it in the air,” Tony promised.

“And if I freak out, what kind of sedation do you have on hand?” Roxanne raised an eyebrow. Tony took her hand and squeezed it.

“I promise you won’t freak out. But if you do, I can handle it.” His eyes met hers and Roxanne saw that he would be able to manage anything. His gaze was reassuring, despite the mischievous tilt of his smile.

XXX

True to his word, the flight was comfortable and Roxanne was able to take Stark’s advice and take a nap. Before she fell asleep, she reflected on how Tony Stark seemed mostly harmless, when everything was said and done. He spoke a good game, but she was used to that. Most guys in the music industry were that way. But he had been respectful and attentive on the drive, hadn’t invaded her space and hadn’t made any assumptions about what was happening, other than a PR trick for Jerry. She was reasonably sure the relationship between he and Pepper Potts was serious, and not at all professional, which explained most of it. But it was nice to be given equal footing, she thought as she drifted to sleep.

“Hey Star-Lady. Time to wake up. We’re landing in about 10 minutes, so you need to be up and buckled in,” Stark shook her shoulder gently. When she made her way from the couch to the seat across from Stark for the landing she smiled.

“This is a pretty sweet ride. If I could have one of these, I might be able to avoid the bloody tour bus,” she commented.

“Well, this one sells for 68 million, so I don’t know if the foundation can afford one for you,” Tony teased. Roxanne’s jaw dropped.

“Shut. Up.”

“Stark Industries, however, has a smaller model, the Gulfstream GV, that could be pressed into service for the duration of the tour. Since you’re partnering with SI now.” He was so nonchalant about it that Roxanne looked confused.

“What?”

“I have a plane that could be used for your tour. Hold on,” he flicked through his phone and nodded. “Yeah, it seats 14. Smaller, more crowded than this, but more appropriate for hopping between the twenty cities left on the tour.” He flicked his phone and the TV screen on the wall of the plane projected the interior of another plane. It was definitely smaller, but still ridiculously luxurious.

“Tony, that’s insane. It would cost a fortune for you to pay pilots and fuel –“

“Roxanne, Jinx told me how this tour is killing you when he came to meet me while you were sick. It will cost your foundation a fortune to miss tour dates. If this helps you get better rest, it’s worth it,” Tony interrupted.

“This good man thing. Is this new? Because I didn’t get the impression you were anything other than a narcissistic megalomaniac based on the press on you,” Roxanne blurted as they touched down. Her hand flew up to her mouth and she cringed. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

To his credit, Stark laughed. “I’ve been spending too much time with Cap,” he excused. The attendant opened the hatch and dropped the stairs. Roxanne unbuckled and used the camera on her phone to check her appearance. She was rumpled. The ‘big sexy curls’ Stephen had insisted on were crushed on one side, and she had a streak of mascara under one eye.

“How long was I asleep for? I’m going to need a touch up before you present me anywhere.” Roxanne peered out the window into a gorgeous spring morning.

“About six hours. There’s a stylist waiting for us,” Tony smirked as someone came up the stairs. “Here she is. Ariane, la dame a besoin d’aide, s’il vous plait.”

“Why are you speaking French?” Roxanne asked as the stylist started setting up. Stark gave her an enigmatic smile and walked toward the back of the plane. She heard the water running and assumed he was starting his own freshen-up. She turned to the stylist.

“Je m’excuse. Je ne parle pas français,” Roxanne apologized.

“That sounded a lot like French, Madamoiselle Rain,” Ariane laughed. She flicked the curling iron through Roxanne’s hair quickly, and used her fingers to perk everything up before sitting in front of her and fixing Roxanne’s make-up. It only took a few minutes. “You have a very classic look, mademoiselle.”

“I look like a rainbow exploded on me from head to toe,” Roxanne protested, laughing.

“But the lines of your face, they are beautiful.” Ariane dug through her make-up box and pulled out a tube of lipstick. “This colour is more appropriate for daytime wear, even on the red carpet, I think.” 

“Are you ready, Roxy?” Tony reappeared from the back, clean-shaven and looking fresh. Roxanne hoped she looked fresh. She felt a little like she’d been ridden hard and put away wet.

“As ready as I’m going to get,” Roxanne responded, and rose. She collected her tiny purse and allowed Tony to escort her down the stairs to the tarmac. The sun was already high in the sky and it was warm. Not hot, but nice.

“Bienvenue a Cannes,” Tony smiled as she looked around.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Roxanne turned so quickly she nearly lost her balance, and Tony reached out to stabilize her.

“No? The film festival is happening, and they’re premiering the movie about the battle of New York. I needed a date. Jerry wanted publicity. I’m giving Jerry a publicity nightmare because I think you’re fun,” Tony shrugged.

“I’m not going to make it back for the show in Atlanta, am I?” Roxanne asked. Tony looked at his watch.

“It’s 1am on the east coast right now. The red carpet is in a half hour, the movie starts in an hour and a half, it’s two hours long, and we’re thirty minutes back to the airport. Seven to eight hours in the air to get to Atlanta. We should be back in the States by 3pm eastern time,” Tony calculated. “But if you want to skip your concert, we can go for lunch after the show.” 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Roxanne shook her head.

“The media is going to go wild about this. We may need to do some press before we leave. But there’s loads of wiggle room to get you on stage tonight.” Tony directed her into the waiting car and they headed toward the film festival. “And if we don’t make it, Jerry gets even more publicity.” 

The driver pulled right up to the red carpet. The door opened and Tony slipped out, then held out his hand to assist Roxanne. He slipped his arm around her waist and flashed a peace sign at the crowd before sliding his hand into hers and leading her toward what appeared to be the rest of the Avengers. 

With the entire team assembled, the amount of flashes going off was ridiculous. Roxanne stayed off to one side and waited for Tony to return to her, and was caught off-guard by a reporter.

“Roxy Rain! Don’t you have a concert in Georgia tonight?”

“I do! Tony Stark is a man of unending surprises,” Roxanne laughed.

“Your fear of flying is well-documented. How was the trip?”

“Very smooth. I hope it stays that way for the flight back, I don’t want to miss the concert tonight.” Roxanne glanced over and saw Tony heading back to her. He insinuated himself beside her and kissed her cheek.

“Let’s keep moving. We have loads of press to stun,” he whispered in her ear. He was enjoying the chaos he was causing, Roxanne realized, as he moved them toward more photographers. Roxanne smiled and played along, allowing him to lead their interactions. He was funny and charming, and kept murmuring commentary to make her laugh at the right times, and Roxanne found she was enjoying being part of his mischief.

“Pepper is going to kill you,” Roxanne finally whispered as they entered the theatre.

“This was her idea,” Tony shook his head.

“There is no way –“

“She recommended that we give the press something to gossip about so that when it came out that all that was happening was that Stark was courting the foundation to donate money, it would seem like no big deal. I’m just executing her plan brilliantly,” Tony interrupted. Roxanne nodded as they took their seats.

XXX

“Oh surprise, surprise, we’re right near Terra again,” Rocket sighed.

“The queen rewarded us for returning the princess. In a big way. We should take a few days off,” Peter suggested.

“So we can take off while you’re with your rockstar?” Rocket asked.

“We’re within a few days of a bunch of places. You can drop us off, Peter, and pick us up in a week. I don’t feel like sitting on this ship waiting for you to return to us. We’ll split the credits from the queen, and we can all take a break from one another. A much needed break,” Gamora suggested. Peter nodded.

“That sounds perfect,” Peter agreed.

XXX

“Please Tony, I am exhausted and starving. Can we skip the media scrum and just get some food and head back to the States?” Roxanne asked at the end of the movie. Tony looked at her and nodded.

“Yeah, you’re kind of pale. I’ll do my best to get us to the car without much delay,” he agreed. The stepped back out into the bright sun and the actor who had played Tony approached. 

“Tony! What did you think of the film?” He asked. Tony shook his hand and pulled him into a hug. They both paused to let a photographer take a photo.

“It was fantastic. John, meet my date. This is Roxy Rain from Pixie Stix. Roxy, this is John Barrowman,” Tony introduced. Roxanne smiled and shook the actor’s hand.

“I absolutely loved you on Dr. Who. And Torchwood,” Roxanne offered.

“I completely love your Star-Lady album. I’ve got a few of the tracks on my workout playlist,” he replied.

“I feel like a total fangirl. I don’t know if I’ll be able to wash my hand ever again,” Roxanne laughed. Barrowman grinned and wrapped her in a hug.

“Now you can never shower again,” he stated, quite seriously. Roxanne shook her head and somewhat instinctively placed her hand back on Tony’s arm. Barrowman quirked an eyebrow and looked down at her hand. “And who will be playing you in the next Iron Man movie?”

“Maybe I can play myself.” She winked. Tony excused them and led her to the car.

“That was very convincing, Roxanne,” Tony teased once they were closed in behind tinted glass.

“I was dizzy. It might have looked affectionate, but I was trying not to topple over. I don’t often wear heels,” Roxanne excuse with a husky chuckle. “Wake me when we get to the plane?”

XXX

By the time they were Stateside, every tabloid paper and tv show was showing images of their appearance together in France. Even legitimate news agencies, faced with a slow news day, were speculating on the appearance. Roxanne shook her head as they taxied to a stop at the airport in Atlanta, eyes glued to the TV.

“This is even better than I imagined,” Tony cackled. Roxanne shook her head.

“You’re insane.”

“You know, Roxy, you look good. Maybe all you really needed was some extra sleep. Between the two flights you’ve slept 17 of the last 23 hours,” Tony offered. Roxanne stretched and nodded. She didn’t bother slipping her heels back on, but instead walked toward the front of the plane in bare feet.

“You might be right. We’ll see how I feel after the concert tonight,” she agreed. “You coming?”

“Absolutely. We want as much speculative gossip as possible,” Tony smirked. “I’m even staying at the same hotel as you.”

“Well, I need to go directly to the venue, so there won’t be a pre-show quickie,” Roxanne teased. Tony let out a short laugh and gave her an appreciative look.

“Finally with the program! I’m pleased to see I’ve won you over.” He winked and held the passenger door of the car open for her. The top was down, and it was a gorgeous warm afternoon. Roxanne slid into the seat and sunk her toes into the fuzzy carpet of the floor mat and relaxed.

“I’ll check us in after I drop you off,” Tony said as they pulled up to the theatre where the concert was happening. Despite Atlanta being a big city, it was a smaller venue for the concert. There was no back door, no way to hide that Roxanne had arrived in Tony Stark’s car less that 12 hours after being seen walking a red carpet in France with him. Roxanne decided to really play it up and leaned over to kiss Tony as she swung the car door open. He winked and pulled her back, kissing her chastely on the mouth, but making it look good. Roxanne pulled away laughing and shook her head.

“Seriously, dude,” she smirked, “Jerry is going to have a heart attack. And for what it’s worth, I’m probably already checked in. But go ahead and make a scene if you feel the need.” Tony threw back his head and laughed ad Roxanne decided in that moment that she thought he was okay, despite everything she’d initially disliked about him. She wasn’t about to give him the giant ego stroke of letting him know that, but she wasn’t as horrified about selling out as she had been before spending twenty-four hours with him.

XXX

Roxanne loved small venues. It was far and away her favourite part of the tour so far. The cozy atmosphere of the Atlanta venue had made the concert seem more personal. She felt revitalized after the first set and by the end of the concert, she knew the show had been special to more than just her. The guys wanted to go out for drinks and food after, and Roxanne felt well enough to join them for the first time in at least two weeks. 

The all-night diner wasn’t quiet, the radio was playing through overhead speakers just loudly enough to be heard, and there was a steady flow of customers. None of them seemed to care who Roxanne or the other musicians were, and they sat, eating breakfast plates and debating lyrics for a new song. Roxanne’s phone chirped and she looked at the screen. It was an updated total on the foundation account. She let out a small gasp and passed the phone to Jinx.

“That can’t be right.” Jinx shook his head.

“Stark Industries is matching all funds, dollar for dollar. Tony said he only cares about the media attention because it will drive more funds into the foundation. Jerry was offering presentation billing for all our tickets and programs, and he turned it down. Instead, he asked for a single page ad for the Stark Women in STEM program, and a standard place in the sponsors,” Roxanne explained.

“What on earth happened in that airplane?” Alex asked.

“I slept. It was a beautiful thing. Both flights,” Roxanne laughed. “I guess Tony Stark isn’t a huge dick? He probably can’t be, right? If he hangs around with Captain America and routinely saves the world?” Roxanne pondered. She had filled them in on Tony’s plan to torment Jerry before the concert so they could play along with the game. 

“Maybe not,” Jinx agreed. The radio volume popped up suddenly and they heard the waitress squeal.

“I love this song!” She adjusted the volume a little louder again and Roxanne smiled as the familiar strains of their hit single floated across the restaurant.

“- in your spaceship, coz I bet it would be warm inside –“

“Honestly, Rox, it’s the dumbest line in the song. Of course a spaceship would be warm inside. You’re in space, it’s 2.7 kelvin. You need a warm ship or you’d all be space popsicles.” Jinx had been complaining about the line since before Star-Lady and the astronauts had recorded it.

“Then I guess it’s a good think it’s not a Pixie Stix single, isn’t it? You don’t have to be associated with my dumb love song,” Roxanne laughed.

“I don’t think it’s a dumb love song,” a voice from behind them spoke. Roxanne spun around and broke into a broad smile.

“Pete!” She jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around him. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”

“I have some vacation time,” he hedged.

“I have two days until my next concert,” Roxanne responded. Peter raised an eyebrow and held up a copy of a newspaper with a picture of her and Tony Stark at Cannes on it.

“Other commitments?” He asked. The band watched the exchange with rapt attention.

“None whatsoever,” Roxanne assured him. He gave her a look of disbelief and then shrugged.

“I could probably kick his ass if I needed to,” he decided. “I mean, as long as he isn’t in the suit. Wanna get out of here?”

“Where to?” She asked.

“My vehicle is outside. Wherever you want to go,” he shrugged. Roxanne’s eyes widened in understanding.

“And your, uh, friends?” She didn’t want to make the rest of the band question who or what Peter was.

“On vacation,” Peter replied. Roxanne stood up and put her napkin on the table.

“Well boys, I’ll see you later.” Roxanne picked her notebook and wallet up and turned to leave. Jinx grabbed her wrist.

“Be careful, Rox,” he warned.

“I know what I’m doing.” She shook her head in dismissal.

“Don’t blow the Stark thing.” His voice was low.

“Trust me,” Roxanne smiled enigmatically. “Where we’re headed, no one will find us to break the story.”

XXX

Roxanne looked around the ship, taking in everything in a way she had been unable to the previous time she’d been onboard. Peter had the Milano cloaked, but was in the pilot’s seat flying them out of the city already. Roxanne felt a wave of nausea hit her and dropped down into the seat beside her.

“I get motion sickness,” she warned. “And I’ve spent 16 hours in an airplane in the last day.”

“I’ll set us down as soon as I find somewhere isolated,” Peter promised. Roxanne dropped her head between her knees and breathed until she realized the ship was no longer in motion. “So tell me again that you and Tony Stark aren’t a thing?”

Roxanne let out a husky laugh. “We’re not a thing.”

“The google says otherwise. Look at this.” Peter had managed to load the internet onto his heads-up display. There were hundreds of photos of her and Tony together in Cannes, holding handing, heads together, laughing with each other. A few of the faked kiss in front of the theatre. Lots of articles speculating about what had happened to Pepper and what was going on. Roxanne stepped in front of the console and smiled.

“This is publicity,” she explained. She pointed to the picture of the kiss, “this is not even a real kiss.”

“I feel like a jealous boyfriend,” Peter admitted.

“But we’re not a couple,” Roxanne protested.

“I know. Part of me doesn’t care because we’ve been having fun. And part of me feels like I’m the idiot that’s you’re cheating with. And then part of me feels like I’m the idiot that you’re cheating on,” Peter shrugged. Roxanne tilted her head to one side and gave Peter an appraising look. There was something about the look he wore that melted her heart. She stepped over to him, and climbed onto his lap, knees on either side of his hips. Peter’s hands slipped over her hips, and he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“Peter, have you ever had a girlfriend before?” She asked. Her voice was soft. Peter shook his head. “So you’ve been flying around space for twenty-five years, bouncing from one girl to the next. But you’ve never –“

“You can’t exactly settle down in my line of work,” Peter admitted. Roxanne dipped her head and brushed a kiss across his lips. “Is that a problem?”

“I’ve been married once, Pete. It’s difficult to settle down in my line of work too.” She turned his words back to him.

“The difference this time is that I really like you, Roxanne.” Peter’s voice cracked a little at the admission. Roxanne felt her cheeks flush.

“I like you too, Peter.”

“How’s your stomach?” He asked.

“It’s okay. Why?”

“I want to show you something,” he said.

“Are you going to take me flying?” Roxanne’s eyes widened.

“Only if you get off my lap,” he teased. Roxanne scrambled into the co-pilot’s seat. He flipped a switch and pulled back on the yoke. Roxanne watched as they lifted off the ground again, and her amazement grew as they flew higher. Soon, the woods vanished into the blanket of night, and not long after, a faint twinkling below them let her know they were as high as an airplane. Almost before she could blink, they were so high that she could see the outline of the eastern seaboard in the twinkling lights representing cities.

“Oh my god, this looks exactly like a photo from space,” she breathed. As soon as she said it, she laughed. “That sounded so stupid.”

“I’m going to put us in orbit beside a satellite. Then we won’t show up as anything suspicious. I’ve been doing my research, and Terra’s space radar has improved significantly since the Chitauri invasion. We should orbit the earth in about 2 hours. But we can stay here as long as you like,” Peter explained, ignoring her comment. He’d been equally stunned the first time Yondu had brought him back to Terra.

“This is amazing, Pete. Thank you.” Roxanne’s words were a low whisper. He patted his lap and smiled.

“Why don’t you come back and get comfortable?” He offered. Roxanne smirked, but slipped into his lap. His arm came up behind her and he brushed a kiss along her temple.

“I could get used to this,” Roxanne murmured, and gazed out over the planet.


End file.
